This blog has been created to help those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease learn how to prepare delicious dishes and baked goods without wheat. However, the majority of the recipes are adapted from ones using wheat flour, and the changes needed to return to the original will be noted, so those without wheat issues who would like to have new recipes to try are welcome to join us! There's a world of good cooking to explore, wheat free or not!

Followers

About Me

I have been cooking for a family with multiple food allergies for the last fifteen years. After having received many requests for help from people new to cooking for food allergies, particularly wheat, I realized that I could help more people more quickly through a blog. My message is: You can have allergies and still cook and eat great tasting food!

My Blog List

Friday

Lasagne

This recipe is in honor of our daughter Afton, whose birthday is this week. This was her favorite dinner growing up, and now she makes it for her kids. It's a little more work than some of the shortcut methods of doing lasagne or buying it ready-made, but according to Afton (who's done both of those) this tastes much better and is worth it :). So here it is -- happy birthday sweetie!

Fill a large pot with water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Cook noodles in boiling water according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, in a large frying pan that has a cover, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic together, stirring, until meat is brown and crumbly and onions are soft. Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Add salt, oregano and pepper, stirring until mixed. Cover pan and simmer slowly until lasagne noodles are done.
When noodles are done, drain, rinse with cold water, and lay on clean kitchen towel to drain, dabbing top with paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Arrange a layer of noodles on bottom of casserole dish (I use a 9x13). Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the noodles; top with 1/2 of the ricotta and 1/2 of the mozzarella. Arrange another layer of noodles on top of cheese; use remaining meat mixture on top of noodles, then remaining ricotta and remaining mozzarella. Top with Parmesan. Bake uncovered in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. If casserole is very full, place it on a cookie sheet before putting in oven as it may bubble over the sides of the casserole. Remove from oven and serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.

A note about the cheese: as I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband is allergic to milk, but we have discovered that it is only the whey he's allergic to, since he tolerates cheese just fine. However, I have recently found out that ricotta cheese is made from whey (and cottage cheese, of course, has milk in it), so I substitute shredded sharp cheddar cheese for the ricotta. With allergies, substitution is the name of the game! The lasagne still tastes great.

I don't know how they get those perfect looking squares of lasagne in magazine pictures -- they must be frozen! This is how real, just-out-of-the-pan, hot lasagne looks moments before being devoured by my husband. Enjoy!